Air traffic halted at Newark Liberty Airport because of an ‘airport emergency’

All flights in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport have been halted because of an “airport emergency,” according to the airport’s official Twitter feed.

The flights were put on hold at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, shortly after a United Airlines passenger plane landed and skidded off the left side of a runway and part of its main landing gear got stuck in a grassy area, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA said the plane, which had arrived from Denver International Airport, will be towed off the airfield after passengers leave the aircraft. The passengers will then be bussed to the airport terminal.

“No injuries were reported to the FAA,” the agency said in a statement issued on its Twitter page, adding that agency officials are on their way to their airport to investigate the incident.

UPDATE (3:10 p.m.): Flights at Newark Airport have resumed, according to airport officials, who noted “delays are expected to continue.” The airport is recommending that passengers contact their carrier for flight information.

UPDATE (3:30 p.m.): United Airlines has issued a statement confirming that Flight 627, traveling from Denver to Newark, “experienced multiple flat tires upon landing in Newark.” The plane became disabled after landing, the airline said.

“For those on the flight, we arranged transport for passengers from the aircraft to the airport terminal and paramedics were on site as a precaution. We’re in close touch with the FAA and airport authorities and are working expeditiously to safely remove the disabled aircraft so that operations at the airport can return to normal,” the airline said.

United said 166 passengers were aboard the flight and noted: “No customers needed to be taken to the hospital and those who had minor injuries refused medical attention.”

Due to an airport emergency there are currently no arrivals nor departures from Newark Airport.Please check with your carrier before coming to the airport [97]

According to FlightAware, a website that tracks airport delays across the nation, all inbound flights to Newark airport are “being held at their origin” until 3 p.m. Saturday, and outbound flights are delayed by an average of 40 minutes, as of 2 p.m.

Update: At 2:45 p.m., FlightAware was reporting departure delays ranging from 90 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes. As of 3:15 p.m., the website said departure delays were growing as long as 2 hours, and inbound flights have been “delayed at their origin an average of 4 hours, 28 minutes.”

A spokesman for the Port Authority said the agency does not yet have a specific time for when flights at Newark will resume. He declined to provide additional details about the incident that prompted the airport shutdown.

According to @FlightIntl a Boeing 757-200 of United Airlines flight #UA627 reportedly performed a hard landing at Newark Airport, resulting in fuselage damage. #Newark is now closed and flights get diverted to LGA and JFK. No words of damage or if any casualties pic.twitter.com/VC1nN3XkdE